News and Events
October 2025
On October 8-9, 2025, CREATE's PhD student Zeinab Heidari is presenting at the in University of Toronto.
September 2025
On September 9, 2025, Dr. Vahid Hosseini delivered a scientific talk titled 鈥淓vidence of the Contribution of Transportation-Related Air Pollution (TRAP) to Urban Air Quality: A Persistent Global Challenge鈥� at the Air Quality and Road Transport Emissions Symposium (AQRTE 2025).
The presentation highlighted the integration of multiple modeling approaches, from emissions estimation to atmospheric dispersion, chemical transport, and pollutant speciation. Dr. Hosseini showcased how these components can be brought together into an advanced urban digital twin framework capable of representing traffic, transportation systems, and their impacts on air pollution.
The talk sparked discussions on the role of digital modeling tools in advancing evidence-based policymaking and urban planning to tackle persistent air quality challenges worldwide.
September 2025
On September 4鈥�5, 2025, Dr. Vahid Hosseini participated in Punjab鈥檚 inaugural Transport Expo, where he delivered a guest lecture on the challenges and interventions for reducing transportation-related air pollution in Lahore and across Punjab. His talk focused on practical strategies such as annual vehicle emission inspections, low-emission zones, emission sticker programs, and vehicle scrappage and buy-back initiatives.
In addition to his lecture, Dr. Hosseini joined a panel discussion alongside experts in traffic engineering, public health, and climate change. The session highlighted the urgent need for integrated approaches that combine technological solutions, policy measures, and public awareness to tackle the region鈥檚 severe air quality challenges.
September 2025
On September 3, 2025, Dr. Vahid Hosseini delivered a scientific lecture at the Lahore University of Management Sciences (LUMS), titled 鈥淓vidence of the Contribution of Transportation-Related Air Pollution (TRAP) to Urban Air Quality: A Persistent Global Challenge.鈥�
LUMS, one of Pakistan鈥檚 highest-ranked universities, hosted the event to highlight pressing issues in urban air quality. Dr. Hosseini鈥檚 talk emphasized Lahore鈥檚 severe air pollution problem (where annual average PM2.5 concentrations exceed 100 碌g/m鲁, far above the World Health Organization guideline of 5 碌g/m鲁). The lecture aimed to inspire researchers and students at LUMS to focus more on local challenges while contributing to global scientific dialogue.
The event also opened discussions for expanding collaboration between LUMS and 91泡芙鈥檚 Faculty of Applied Sciences and School of Sustainable Energy Engineering. Faculty members, graduate students, and undergraduate students actively engaged in the session, fostering an exchange of ideas on advancing research and policy solutions for transportation-related air pollution.
June 2025
Dr. Vahid Hosseini was invited as a guest speaker at an event hosted by the Clean Air Strategic Alliance (CASA) in Edmonton, Alberta. His presentation provided an overview of vehicle emission standards, explored after-treatment technologies for gasoline and diesel engines, and examined the causes and consequences of emission control system tampering.
May 2025
Five of CREATE's students presented in the 60th annual in Ottawa:
- Air emission analysis of the low-emission zone policy towards heavy-duty diesel trucks restriction in downtown- Negar Razzaghi, Vahid Hosseini
- Emission reduction potential of urban bike-sharing systems- Ali Azimi, Yannick Ntibansiga, Negar Razzaghi, Vahid Hosseini
- Multi-scale spatial analysis of on-road emissions- Maha Shehadeh, Vahid Hosseini
MAY 2025
Three CREATE students 鈥� Seyed Hamid Delbari, Sara Asaad, and Zeinab Heidari鈥攔eceived awards for best presentations and posters at the SEEgrad 2025 conference held for graduate students in the Sustainable Energy Engineering school.
May 2025
Dr. Vahid Hosseini delivered talks at Kathmandu University and Tribhuvan University on 鈥淭argeting Transportation-Related Air Pollution.鈥�
In his presentations, Dr. Hosseini outlined advanced tools and strategies for tracking and reducing transportation emissions, including high-resolution emission inventories, remote sensing, and chemical transport modeling.
April 2025
Dr. Vahid Hosseini received the 2024 Excellence in Research Award from the School of Sustainable Energy Engineering.
SFU researchers reveal how bike sharing could shape future emission reduction policies
March 2025
While the electrification of passenger vehicles is widely regarded as a key strategy for decarbonizing urban mobility, it is not progressing at a sufficient pace. Alternative transportation, such as biking, offers an economical solution to expedite the transition. Read more...
SFU's School of Sustainable Energy Engineering partners with Corix to enhance biomass plant efficiency
March 2025
厂贵鲍鈥檚&苍产蝉辫;School of Sustainable Energy Engineering (SEE) program and 鈥� the company that designed, built, owns and operates the Renewable Energy Centre biomass plant on Burnaby Mountain 鈥� have embarked on a four-year research collaboration aimed at measuring the quality of locally-sourced wood waste and the plant鈥檚 performance to improve operations and cut emissions even further. read more
CREATE's Workshop on pedaling towards cleaner cities
Feb 2025
CREATE Lab presented preliminary findings from its project on emission reduction through bike sharing at a partner workshop with Mobi Bike, TransLink, and the City of Vancouver. Researchers Ali Azimi, Yannick Ntibinsiga, and Shedrach Ezenwali showcased their progress using an agent-based traffic model, MOVES emission model, multiple AI-driven models, and a life cycle assessment (LCA) model. Their analysis demonstrated that Vancouver鈥檚 bike-sharing system has the potential to reduce CO鈧� emissions from transportation in areas covered by the bike network by 4%鈥攁 significant impact given the current number of bikes. The study also found that four e-bikes can have a CO鈧� reduction effect equivalent to one electric vehicle (EV) replacing a fossil fuel car. These insights will contribute to policy recommendations promoting bike sharing as a cost-effective pathway for urban mobility decarbonization.
CREATE's knowledge dessimination activities
October - December 2024
CREATE has been actively engaged in knowledge dissemination throughout Fall 2024. Our team presented two impactful papers at the CMAQ Conference in North Carolina, USA, in October, showcasing cutting-edge research in air quality modeling. In November, we ran two hands-on workshops about the SCRAM Project during the Engineering Without Borders (xChange) event at UBC, fostering innovation and collaboration. Additionally, in December, we delivered an invited talk at the Mechanical Engineering Department at the University of Alberta, highlighting advancements in sustainable energy and transportation systems.
CREATE Leads Co-Creation Workshop for the SCRAM Project: Aiming for a Low-Carbon Future in Burnaby!
May 2024
On May 24, 2024, CREATE along with the involved research groups from SFU and UBC in the SCRAM (Sustainable Community-Resilient Alternative Mobility) project, hosted a co-creation workshop with partners from the City of Burnaby, TransLink, Mobi Bike, EVO Carshare, and others. The workshop focused on developing pathways for low-carbon urban mobility, prioritizing a fair transition, maximizing societal benefits, and ensuring feasibility within existing infrastructure. Insights from this event will guide future community engagement and case study selection in Burnaby. For a detailed report and further information, please visit the SCRAM project page here.
Congratulations to Ali and Negaar for Winning Best Poster Presentation Awards at SFU SEEGRAD 2024!
May 2024
We are thrilled to announce that Ali and Negaar have been awarded the Best Poster Presentation Awards at the SFU SEEGRAD 2024 conference! Their outstanding research and presentation skills were recognized at this prestigious event, showcasing their dedication and innovation in the field.
For more details about the conference and their winning presentations, please visit the SFU SEE GRAD 2024.
CREATE researchers participate at the 59th Canadian Transportation Research Forum (CTRF) Conference in Kelowna, BC.
May 2024
We are proud to announce that our team members Hamid, Maha, and Ali presented their research in the 59th Canadian Transportation Research Forum (CTRF) conference, held in Kelowna, BC from May 12th to May 15th, 2024.
September 25, 2023
Choosing the right route to lower traffic emissions
The story of helping cities reach their net-zero mobility goals faster 鈥� even in sub-zero temperatures by by profiling tailpipe emissions and creating community-specific transportation models launched on about CFI-funded research at CREATE institution.
For reviewing the full article, here is the link at Innovation:
August 23, 2023
CASA and OPUS on Remote Sensing of Emissions
The Clean Air Strategic Alliance (CASA), a multi-stakeholder non-profit association, has an to help address emissions from the transportation sector. The project scope is to use remote sensing technology to test emissions from the in-use on-road vehicle fleet in Alberta, including both light-duty and heavy-duty vehicles, and making recommendations for managing emissions from the on-road transportation sector. Dr. Hosseini is a participant on the CASA project team and is contributing his expertise in motor vehicle emissions to support the project work.
The emissions data collection and analysis were completed by Opus Inspection Inc., and Dr. Hosseini was involved in reviewing and providing comments on the consultant report. Opus鈥� report is available on the , and the project team is using those results, along with other key information sources, to develop a set of recommendations to support transportation emissions management in the province.
The project鈥檚 final report is expected to be available in June 2024.
July 14, 2023
Join us for the CREATE lab's webinar, "Unveiling Insights from Regulatory Agencies: Enhanced Data Analysis Techniques and Proficient Communication Strategies", on July 14, at 10-11:30.
This will be presented by Dr. Faraz Ahangar, data engineer at Southern California Edison.
Key topics:
- Data cleaning and analytical steps used in regulatory environments.
- Data visualization solutions developed for technical and non-technical audiences by showcasing some projects.
July 11 and 12, 2023
Join us for the CREATE lab's webinar, "Application of Atmospheric Modeling in Clean Transportation", on July 11 and 12, at 9-12.
This will be presented by Erfan Hajiparvane, air quality modeler and rsearch assistant at CREATE group.
Key topics:
- 锘匡豢Introducing atmospheric modeling tools
- 锘匡豢Meteorological modeling using WRF
- 锘匡豢Air Quality analysis using CMAQ
- 锘匡豢Model Validation
October 14, 2022
CREATE's PI, Dr. Hosseini, and group members had an exciting tour of Surrey's , the most advanced municipal center of its kind in BC. During the visit, we witnessed live demonstrations of traffic control and data acquisition from advanced sensors, traffic cameras, and AI-based algorithms on all modes of transportation across the City.
Dr. Hosseini's intro in the SEE newsletter
Vahid Hosseini joined SEE in August 2021 as an Associate Professor. With expertise in studying urban sustainable mobility options, he uses integrated experimental and modelling tools to analyze the dispersion of criteria air contaminants, greenhouse gas emissions, and energy consumption of transportation modes and technologies in cities.
鈥淚 look forward to working with SEE undergraduate and graduate students to put SEE on the map as a major player of research, innovation, and expertise to achieve sustainable goals in the transportation sector while collaborating with SFU faculties in economics, social sciences, environmental justice, and more. I expect that the contribution will also improve the relationship with Indigenous peoples, recognizing rights, respect, cooperation and partnership in the transportation sector and will promote EDI principles in higher education and research.鈥�
